Both the American and National League Central races are heating up. The Chicago White Sox lead the AL Central by one game over the Minnesota Twins, and the Detroit Tigers only trail by three games. The White Sox have cooled off and are rumored to still be in the mix for a bat.  The Tigers suffered a big loss with Magglio Ordonez breaking his ankle sliding into home plate.

The NL Central has the St. Louis Cardinals even with the Cincinnati Reds.  These two teams have been winning games through different methods–the Cards by pitching and the Reds by hitting. Baseball fans know that good pitching usually out last good hitting.

Just as I thought they would, the New York Mets have fallen off and have won only two of their last 10. The general manager says that Jerry Manuel’s job is ok for the remainder of this season, but I can’t see him still managing next season if they don’t make the playoffs.

The Boston Red Sox have fallen seven games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.  The Red Sox also trail the wild card leading Tampa Bay Rays by five games. The amount of player injuries has played its part in the downfall of the Red Sox this season.  The gap to win the division is too great, and soon their wild card chances will be in a similar boat.

Bud Black was given a contract extension to manage the over achieving San Diego Padres. I haven’t said it out loud yet, but the Padres may actually be for real. Let’s highlight the big reasons why, cover the impact of the Haren trade, and find out something about Roy Oswalt.

Padres Parade

The Padres hitting has been timelier than when you were a kid and you walked in on your friend’s older sister getting out of the shower–that was no accident, just like the Padres aren’t.

I don’t think they thought it would work out quite this great, but they gather a rotation of quality starters, a proven closer, and surrounded an MVP player with speedy mediocre talent.

Coming into this season they knew that no one in this division made any big moves and the Dodgers pitching wasn’t that great.

Pitching Factor

The Padres have the best ERA in baseball at 3.26,  lead by youngster Matt Latos, who has the lowest ERA amongst the starters at 2.48.  If it weren’t for the incredible seasons of Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Johnson, Latos may figure into the Cy Young voting.

The Padres have Latos on a pitch limit. It’s kind of like a curfew for high school kids–they want you to go out and learn cool stuff, but they don’t want you to do anything stupid and hurt yourself.

For the Padres to keep this up, not only will Latos have to continue to pitch well, but the surprising play from fellow starting pitchers like John Garland and Clayton Richards will also have to continue.

Goatee Killer

Beside the fact that Adrian Gonzalez has facial hair that can make any man jealous, he also hits in a line-up where he is the only threat.

Imagine you had to get into a fight 4 on 1, but three of the men were dwarves and only one was your size.  You would focus on knocking out the big one which would render the others ineffective. This is what the Padres line-up is like, but Gonzalez continues to produce.

Gonzalez is the only player with double digit home runs (21) and the only player with more than 40 RBIs (64). Gonzalez also leads all players with more than 200 at-bats in batting average (.295).

Gonzalez will most likely be an MVP candidate if the Padres can keep up this unthinkable run. A team that we thought would be sellers at this time now needs to become buyers and get some help in the line-up.

What Is the Wizard of Oswalt Thinking?

One of the biggest trade rumors has been the Houston Astros looking to move starting pitcher Oswalt. He started the talks by expressing his desire to play for a contender.

However, Oswalt has also said that he wants the team that trades for him to pick up his 16 million dollar option for the 2012 season.  This has scared off teams like the Cardinals and many others for that matter.

If a team that has a chance to go to the playoffs every year is interested in him and willing to take on the rest of this year and next years contract, why wouldn’t he go?

I understand that he most likely won’t be able to get a deal that will pay him that kind of money in 2012, but $10 – 12 million is a possibility.

I think in life you have to make sacrifices for what is important to you. By demanding that a team pickup the 16 million dollar option he is saying that winning is second to money.

He knows better than any of us that the Astros are not close to being a playoff contender. Oswalt is saying that he would rather have the extra money playing for a cellar organization than have chance at a World Series. If he went to the Cards they would have one of the best rotations in baseball, but I guess money is more important.

Haren Closes the Gap

The AL Central seems to be the Texas Rangers to lose this season.  They added ace pitcher Cliff Lee to an already capable starting rotation before the break.

This put the pressure on the Los Angeles Angels to upgrade their pitching staff.  This week the Angels added stud right hander Dan Haren.  In most cases you would be worried about a pitcher coming from the NL to the AL, but Haren has already pitched in the AL, posting a 43 – 34 record over three seasons with the Oakland Athletics.

The gap between the Angels and Rangers is currently 8.5 games, with the Angels losing 3 of 4 lastweekend.  This weekend they have a 3 game series at the “Big A.”

I do believe Haren gives them a fighting chance to contend for the division, but they don’t have the hitting to close the deal.  Haren gives them a better shot at the AL wild card if they can catch the Rays.

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• MLB Approves HGH Testing in Minor Leagues
• Hall of Fame Voters Need To Get Over Themselves
• MLB Week 15 Sluggers and Slugs: Trade Deadline Buyers/Sellers

I’ve heard, more than once, that certain baseball writers have adopted a “No ‘Steroids Era’ players are getting in” policy.  As principled as that might sound, it doesn’t make any sense.

I think I can understand where they’re coming from, but I don’t buy it.  Righteous indignation on the part of one party usually indicates their own guilt.

Ever watched the guilty kid say, “It wasn’t me!” when the teacher asks who shot the spitball?  A lot of these baseball writers feel like they got duped during the “home run chase” and all the hoopla back in the 90′s.  Can’t we just admit it was fun?

To Not Let Them In

Go ahead, just erase 15 years of baseball--for no reason.

The writers who have adopted the “nobody gets in” policy are the supposed “purists”.  These people think baseball is so cool that no one but them should enjoy it.  Frankly, these kind of people are the same reason soccer isn’t taking off in the U.S. (but that’s another column altogether).

When the “purists” call for “Steroids Era” players to be wiped off the map they are saying loud and clear:

1.  I agree to forget all the baseball I watched in the 90′s and early 2000′s.

2.  I think it’s easy to hit a small moving target with a wooden stick.

3.  I am not willing to acknowledge raw talent.

4.  And I am certainly not going to enjoy the game unless everyone has a blood and urine test beforehand.

If you forget 15 years worth of baseball, think the game is easy, don’t recognize a player’s talent, and need “assurances” then you aren’t someone who enjoys the game.

The plain fact is that many fans don’t even care who was or was not using during the “steroids era”.  Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa had the chase.  Am I the only person left who is still astonished that McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998?

Add Barry Bonds to the argument and I can’t change my mind.  It’s hard to hit a small, moving target with a wooden stick.  As much as I loathe Barry Bonds, he’s still a gifted player, one of the best of his generation.  Denying it any longer would insult my own sports “intellect” and yours too.

To Let Them In

I’m of the opinion that you have to vote for the players who you believe were outstanding in their time.  This explains why I think Andre Dawson and Whitey Herzog had to wait too long to get in the Hall.

Let’s take Jason Giambi.  I had to laugh when I saw him playing for the Rockies.  He was unproductive, he looked terrible, and he had fallen so far from grace that I think most don’t even realize he’s still in the Major Leagues.

He has 1900 career hits and 412 career home runs.  The question is not, “What percentage of his homers and hits were juiced” but, “Is 412 homers and 1900 career hits enough to put you in the Hall?”

Asking other questions requires the kind of research that simply cannot be done.  I know some folks are really big on statistics, but there is no one crazy enough to figure the precise number of at-bats that may or may not have been juiced.

It’s easier to answer the question.  Is 1900 career hits and 412 career homers enough?

What about Fred McGriff?  He played right through the “Steroids Era”–from 1986-2004.  He has 493 career homers and 2490 career hits.  Is that enough?  I’ve never heard his name and steroids in the same sentence, but the question remains the same.

To let these men in is not just about saying that other “eras” had their issues: Spitballs, scuffed balls,  the Black Sox, corked bats, pine tar, whatever.  Letting these men into the Hall of Fame, if you think they played well enough, is about admitting that you couldn’t do it yourself.

I’m not very confident that I could hit a baseball out of the infield, yet Barry Bonds hit 35 balls into McCovey Cove.  Does anyone else want to try that?  I never thought I’d be defending Barry Bonds, but you have to be good in order to do that.

Anyone want to argue that?

What Is The Answer?

The only way to honor people who are truly great baseball players is to acknowledge their play over a long span of time.  Consistent performance is the key and a solid, sustained “peak” is required.

Fred McGriff was hot in the mid-90′s when he was playing for the Braves.  He amassed nearly 500 career homers and almost 2500 hits.  For me, that’s Hall of Fame worthy.

Andre Dawson carried the Cubs and Expos by himself–with the exception of Ryne Sandberg.  He was at the core of a team when he was at his best.  For me, that’s enough.

Jason Giambi signed a bloated contract, performed well for a while, but wasn’t the “core” of the Yankees or the A’s.  He has similar numbers to Andre Dawson, but he doesn’t give me the same “star quality” feeling that Andre Dawson does.  That is how you vote for the Hall of Fame.

Guessing who did, who didn’t, who used a corked bat, who used too much pine tar, who fought too much, who stole signs, and who wore his hat sideways is not a measure of greatness.  If you have a vote and think Jason Giambi is one of the greatest of his time–vote him in.

The same goes for Fred McGriff, Andres Gallaraga, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, or anybody who has played the game for a substantial amount of time.  A baseball “purist” cannot honor the players who perform well if they do not acknowledge the skill involved in playing the game well.

Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa are gifted hitters.  So is Fred McGriff.  There’s no difference–unless you don’t want to enjoy the game for what it is.

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• MLB Approves HGH Testing in Minor Leagues
• Alex Rodriguez 600th Homerun: Tainted Celebration Now
• MLB Week 15 Sluggers and Slugs: Trade Deadline Buyers/Sellers

This will be the first North American sport to conduct any kind of blood testing among its athletes.  Thursday night on ESPN Radio, MLB Medical Director, Dr. Gary Green, said that the MLB Players Association would be open to implementing a similar system if the Minor League proves to have a problem.

“The implementation of blood testing in the Minor League represents a significant step in the detection of the illegal use of human growth hormone,” said a statement issued by Selig.

Notorious BALCO founder Victor Conte thinks this announcement is a joke and had several fairly solid points to make about this announcement for baseball.

“This is what I often refer to as ‘announced’ or ‘IQ’ testing instead of drug testing,” Conte said. “It wouldn’t take much of an IQ for a player to circumvent this proposed HGH testing procedure. Drug testing must be completely random in order to be effective.”

The detection of elevated HGH levels can only be found in the blood stream.  To further the thought on the difficulty of testing, identifying an HGH user must be done within a 24 – 48 hour window of using the steroid. The body naturally produces HGH, so there is only a short period of time to check for elevated levels.

Success of HGH Testing

In the history of HGH testing, only one athlete has ever been detected for using growth hormones–British rugby player, Terry Newton.  Newton did not contest the results of his positive test and later came forward admitting to the use growth hormones.

Newton was given a two year ban from the sport by the UKAD (United Kingdom Anti-Doping) agency.

This was the positive test that put pressure North American sports.  The USADA (United State Anti-Doping Agency) and UKAD made sure that organizations like the MLB and others knew that they had found the testing that worked–giving them no more excuses as to why they couldn’t implement testing in sports such as baseball.

MLB has done a pretty good job of cleaning up steroid use in the game.  Sixty-five players have tested positive for steroids since strengthening the testing in 2005, although none of these players have had a positive HGH test.  Most notably Manny Ramirez tested positive for steroids in ’09 and was suspended 50 games.

Chances of MLB Testing

Members from MLB and Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program feel that starting testing in the minors will allow these future big league ball players to become accustomed to blood testing. Someday they are going to take over the majority of the MLBPA and can vote in blood testing.

If they catch one or two guys, the chances of MLB testing happening soon aren’t as likely.  However, if they were to detect half a dozen it would give them the legs to run with this as being a problem in baseball.

The idea of strengthening drug testing isn’t really about protecting the lives of the players or protecting old records as much as about creating an even playing field for the players who don’t use performance enhancing drugs.

How fast the testing will take place in the MLB still depends on the success of the new Minor League system being set up.

Last night on Jason Smith’s “All Night” radio show, they brought up a relevant point: Can Minor League guys afford to buy HGH the same way a Major League player can?

A cycle of HGH is lasts anywhere from five to eight months with one to two daily injections.  Each injection can cost anywhere from $75 – $150 dollars.  Hypothetically, a 6-month cycle with only one daily injection at $120 per would cost about $21,600.

Minor League guys only make $1,100 per month in the first season with open negotiations after that.  Even at 5 times that amount per month for 6 months (the duration of the season)–$33,000 for the year–I doubt these guys would spend 2/3 of their money on growth hormones.

At some point HGH testing will makes its way into MLB.  The only problem with that is by the time it gets approved, they will have moved on to the next enhancer.

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• Evidence HGH Improves Athletic Production
• Rodriguez, Woods, and Others Linked to Dr. Galea
• World-Pharma.org—Full of Marketing Strategies and Lies

Minor League contracts are not subject to the league Collective Bargaining Agreement.  This means that the league can simply bring random testing into being.  So, this policy becomes a part of the MLB Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Though this seems like a small step towards testing in the Majors it appears the league feels they are on the right track.

“Obviously, we make a separate decision with regard to the minor-league program, but the Major League Baseball Players Association has been proactively engaged in conversations with us on the scientific and logistical issues associated with blood testing at the major league level”, said Rob Manfred, executive vice president labor relations for Major League Baseball.

We’re not sure how many players are going to appreciate having their blood drawn at random intervals, but the time may be near for Major League ball players.

Underwhelmed by A-Rod? Maybe this stick figure will be more impressive.

Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is entering a four-game series facing the Kansas City Royals sitting on 598 career home runs.  A-Rod is trying to become the 7^th player in Major League Baseball history to join the “600 Homerun Club.”

A-Rod will be joining some pretty impressive company–Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey, Jr. (630), and Sammy Sosa (609).

Before the 2009 season, A-Rod’s name was leaked off the much talked about secret performance enhancing drug testing list conducted by MLB in 2003. A-Rod admitted to using steroids in his time with Texas Rangers from 2001-2003.

Due to A-Rod’s admission, this is the most uncelebrated passing of a milestone in recent baseball history–even less than Bonds passing Aaron, but not as unwanted as Aaron passing Ruth. Aaron received thousands of death threats on his way up to 715.

I was wondering if there was even any excitement among the fans of the Bronx Boomers, so I called one of my best friends Amos Kelsey–New Yorker, baseball fan, and most importantly a Pin Stripper through and through.

“There isn’t a lot of excitement around here for 600. I haven’t seen any 600 T-shirts. The overall feeling is that it’s tainted,” Amos said. Despite the unenthusiastic feeling, Amos would like see the milestone and will be in attendance for the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday’s games.

600 Homerun Club

When A-Rod reaches this accomplishment, the stats will be 3-3-1.  Three guys who we are sure never used steroids (Aaron, Ruth, Mays); three guys we’re pretty certain used steroids (Bonds, Sosa, A-Rod); and one guy who played in the steroids era, but we all want to believe he is clean (Griffey).

Bonds has royally screwed himself by lying to a grand jury during the BALCO investigation about whether or not he used steroids. The cloud of doubt above Bonds will never go away and the majority of us will remain in the mindset that he is a cheater.

Meanwhile, Sosa not only forgot how to speak English when testifying in front of the grand jury, but has also tried to change the color of his skin and eyes–he looks like a Dominican vampire. Sosa is one of my favorite baseball players of all-time, but he will forever be linked to Mark McGwire and steroids.

Griffey, who finally retired this season, probably could have left the game on top of the HR leader board had he not spent so many games on the DL during the prime years of his career. Most baseball fans don’t believe Griffey ever took steroids. Diehard fans actually live in fear of it ever coming out that he did–desperately wanting one great clean player from this generation.

Other Reason for Higher Totals

In 1969, MLB made a major change in an attempt to give the hitters more of an advantage. They lowered the mound from 15 to 10 inches.  This may not seem like that big of a change, but many players have said that change leveled out the pitches creating less of an advantage for the pitcher.

Expansion has also played a big part in the increased power numbers among baseball players.  By adding more teams to the league, it has spread out the talent and allowed for less talented pitchers to come from the minors to the majors.

The designated hitter is another reason that we have seen an increase in power in the American League–which A-Rod has played in for his entire career.  The ability to add another power hitter to your line-up could create protection for guy like A-Rod and give him better pitches to hit.

Over time they have wound the ball tighter, creating the ball to leave the bat faster with the ability for more distance.

All of the reasons are contributing factors, I’m not in denial that none of these reasons played as big of a part in the stats as steroids.  When lead off guys start hitting 25 – 50 HRs a season, it doesn’t matter about the tightness of a ball, the height of the mound, and if they only hit against single-A pitchers. Something else is the cause.

Foreshadowing on 600

Bonds, Sosa, and A-Rod will all have over 600 HRs. They have all either admitted or we strongly believe they used PEDs.  The big reason as to why I think we may someday look back at A-Rod’s 600^th HR and applaud is the fact that A-Rod has admitted to steroid use. He has had the chance to rectify the situation with productive years following “tainted” ones.

To our knowledge, A-Rod has not tested positive other than that one time and has been playing clean since that point.  Since MLB didn’t drug test early in his career, we have no choice but to believe that he wasn’t juicing early on in his career.

A-Rod will be 36 on July 27^th–giving him at least 4-5 solid more years of production in the majors.  I believe he will finish somewhere around Aaron and Bonds on the HR chart. Some people even believe he has a shot at 800.

Hypothetically speaking, if he finishes with 750 HRs, take away the three seasons in Texas tainted by steroids (total 154), that still leaves him with a total of 596. This would leave him at his current place on the all-time list, 7^th.

“I think A-Rod will be the first player from the steroids era to get into the Hall of Fame despite admitting to steroid use,” Amos said during the phone conversation. “I think he will get in on his 3^rd ballot.”

I, too, believe that A-Rod will be the first admitted user to get into the Hall of Fame, but I think they will make him wait longer. Mine opinion is that he will get in on his 5^th try. Even with the extraction of the tainted years, A-Rod will still be a .300 hitter, with HRs, RBIs, and OPS to back it up. Last year he also became a World Series champion and came up clutch in the post season–something that fans and writers say is his biggest flaw.

I think, right now, any celebration that we give him would be tainted. But, when all is said and done, A-Rod is one of the best players from this generation and I will never forget how dangerous he was with a bat in his hands.

A-Rod’s 600^th Homerun Prediction

Friday 23^rd, 2010 – 2^nd at bat – 3^rd inning

Photo from: Hilton Head Foreclosures

We are coming off the 2010 All-Star break rejuvenated to finish a great run.  The Major League Baseball season is rapidly approaching the July 31^st trade deadline.  An organization’s season can be made or broken at this point depending on whether they are buyers or sellers.

One team that should be in the buying business is the Minnesota Twins.  In last week’s article I talked about how crucial the 4 game series with the Chicago White Sox would be directly after the break.  The Twins took 3 of 4 including a 4 run 9^th inning comeback on Sunday and closed the gap to 1.5 games.

The Texas Rangers made their big move before the break by acquiring Seattle Mariner’s starting pitcher Cliff lee.  This applies pressure to the Los Angeles Angels who have had their battles with just staying healthy this season.

The trade deadline is about how much money your organization is willing to spend to possibly win a championship for your team.

Nobody spent their money better than New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, who passed away last week.  I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to “The Boss” for all the great things he did for the game of baseball.

Is your team a buyer or seller? Which players are available and where might they be going?

Must-Have Playoff Pitching Depth

Photo from: The Fightins

Several teams with playoff aspirations are in desperate need of some front end pitchers, especially the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Minnesota Twins.

There is a list of quality starters that could help any of these teams (one of which is the caliber of Lee).

Teams aren’t looking for an ace to top the rotation – if they were they probably wouldn’t be buyers in the market right now.

All of the teams in search of help either have an ace or someone who has emerged as the No. 1 guy.  The Phillies have Roy Halladay, the Mets have Johann Santana, the Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, the White Sox have Mark Buehrle,  and the Twins have Carl Pavano.

They need to add the perfect guy who can go on the road in game 3 of a series or give them a great 7 innings in game 2 regardless of where they play.

Available Pitchers

List of pitchers provided by ESPN Insider

Photo from: Foul Pole 2 Foul Pole

Cleveland Indians – They have two guys who could be great addition at the deadline – Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona.  Carmona is the more attractive guy from this team because he has shown he has No. 1 stuff.   The Dodgers would be a great place for him, but the McCourt family divorce will probably keep them out of contention.

Baltimore Orioles – This is another team with two guys on the block, Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie.  Millwood is a veteran pitcher who has proven to be a workhorse going deep into games and delivering quality starts.

Florida Marlins – This team is filled with contracts and players they’re willing to part with.  On the pitching side it’s Ricky Nolasco and Nate Robertson.  I’m not wildly high on either of these guys unless you have a solid No. 2 guy like the Mets do.

Houston Astros – It’s no secret that this organization has some players who want out, most notably is Roy Oswalt.  Oswalt is the best pitcher that is available for any team to pick up.  It would be scary for the National League as he was pitching behind Halladay in Philly.

Oakland Athletics – They just acquired Ben Sheets this past off-season and most likely just for this reason – They are always looking to move players for young prospects.

Washington Nationals –  They have a guy who doesn’t have the best stuff, but Livan Hernandez has shown us this season that he’s learned how to get outs.  I love Hernandez on a team like the White Sox or Twins.

Chicago Cubs – They are without question going to be sellers before the deadline with an enormous payroll and currently 9.5 games out of first.  Ted Lilly is a solid left hander who can get outs. I like him for the Dodgers, but probably won’t happen.

Arizona Diamondbacks – I think it’s rare to hear about a younger guy on the block who threw a no-hitter earlier this season, but Edwin Jackson could end up on his 5^th different team by the deadline.  The Phillies should make a play and have him throw behind struggling lefty Cole Hamels.

Looking For Wood

Photo from: CNN

The most amazing storyline has been how well the San Diego Padres have played this season with a 4 game lead over the Colorado Rockies in the NL West.  This has been accomplished by sporting the No. 1 pitching staff in all of baseball.

Beyond their slugger Adrian Gonzalez, the rest of the line up is filled with 2^nd and 3^rd rate talent.  If they are to make a run at the post-season they will need to add a bat before the trade deadline.

Even though the Rockies are going to get Troy Tulowitzki back soon from the DL, they are rumored to be looking for infield help , maybe Jorge Cantu or Ty Wigginton.

The San Francisco Giants are only 4.5 games out of the NL West and would serve themselves nicely by adding a bat to that lineup as well.  Trading at the deadline is less likely for them.

The Angels have been rumored to be interested in power hitting players with expiring contracts for the late season run, most Notably Derrek Lee from the Cubs.

I know that the Detroit Tiger’s Miguel Cabrera would have much better shot at the Triple Crown if they added someone to that lineup.  The Tigers will most likely not make any major moves.

Summer Lumber Sale

Photo from: Zimbio

By Nationals standards this has had a pretty successful season.  I know, it must suck to be a Nats fan.  They have slugger Adam Dunn, who is going to be a free-agent this off-season. It is time figure out if they can agree on a long term deal or ship him out.

Buster Olney says that the White Sox are interested in the big bopper – I’m not sure I understand the need for power when they are 6^th in the league for HRs.

As I said before, the Cubs would like to deal Lee if he is willing to waive his no-trade clause.  A likely fit for him would be the Angles since they are without Kendry Morales.  When Morales returns to the lineup they could put him at DH and platoon Hideki Matsui in the outfield.

We all know that the Milwaukee Brewers can’t afford to resign Prince Fielder.  They would like to pretend they can in an attempt to drive up the price.  Fielder is desired by many because of his ability to go deep.  Fielder’s defense, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired.

The Brewers want young pitching in return for Fielder and most teams are unwilling to give it up to acquire a guy that will most likely demand major money when he is resigned.  The rumored suitor is the White Sox where he would primarily be the DH.  Olney also writes that the Tampa Bay Rays may want to package together a crazy deal sending Wade Davis to Milwaukee.

I have heard Mike Lowell rumors all season long, mainly about him going to the Rangers.  Well, those talks are apparently heating up again.  Lowell will have his hip examined again next week.  The Rangers have a need at 1^st and 3^rd base, both of which are positions that Lowell can play.

Deadline Final Thoughts

Overall, more things will be talked about or rumored than will actually happen.  I do believe that Fielder will move because the Brewers would be stupid to let him go for nothing when he becomes a free-agent.

Most of the teams that are currently front runners are one of two things: they are either confident enough with their roster or they are a smaller market team and tend not to make big moves.

I would love to see trades flying all over the place at the last minute of the trade deadline – it creates interest and an opportunity to reevaluate the chances of certain teams.  Be sure to check back for the full report after July 31!

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• Farewell to “The Boss”
• Whispers of Ubaldo Jimenez for MVP
• MLB Week 14 Sluggers and Slugs – 2nd Half Preview

Photo from: Web Shots

George Steinbrenner, perhaps the most successful professional sports team owner of all time, died Tuesday at a hospital in Tampa, Florida. The official cause of death was a heart attack, but Steinbrenner’s health had been failing for the last few years.

The outspoken owner of the New York Yankees had just celebrated his 80^th birthday on July 4^th. His career included 11 American league pennants and World Series titles in 1977-78, 1996, 1998-2000 and 2009.

Steinbrenner rebuilt the Yankees from the ground up during his 37 year tenure as their owner. He purchased the lackluster team that hadn’t won a championship in 11 years for about $8.7 million in 1973.

Today the team’s estimated value is over $1.6 billion. He spared nothing to create this ratings juggernaut. The sports franchise trails only Manchester United ($1.8 billion) and the Dallas Cowboys ($1.65 billion).

He also negotiated a landmark $486 million, 12-year cable TV contract with the Madison Square Garden Network in 1988, launching the Yankees’ own YES Network during the 2002 season.

Steinbrenner made no apologies for his outspoken and often bombastic behavior. His goal of creating the ultimate winning team was never in doubt. He made no secret by saying things like, “Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing—breathing first, winning next.”

Steinbrenner was known for his deep pockets in the free agent market. Some of his expensive and high-profile acquisitions included Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Mike Mussina, Jason Giambi—and the most expensive of all, Alex Rodriguez.

The Yankees were the first team in MLB history to have a  $200 million payroll, provoking anger and envy among other owners. He was often accused of buying the series, but to “The Boss,” as he was dubbed by Mike Lupica of the Daily News, that was just playing the game.

Steinbrenner was known for tumultuous relationships with his coaching staff, firing and rehiring manager Billy Martin five times. He fired Yogi Berra after just 16 games in the 1985 season, leaving Berra vowing never to return to Yankee stadium “as long as [Steinbrenner’s] there.” Their infamous feud ended in 1999.

Berra was quoted as saying, “George was ‘The Boss,’ make no mistake. He built the Yankees into champions, and that’s something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn’t? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much.”

In October of 1995, Steinbrenner hired Joe Torre to coach his team. Torre would lead the Yankees to 10 American League Division titles, six American League pennants and four World Series titles. This relationship, too, ended badly in 2007 with Torre rejecting Steinbrenner’s offer to continue to coach the team, calling it “insulting.”

Despite the sour ending of their partnership, Steinbrenner would later admit that he never had a better relationship with another coach and it appears that respect was mutual with Torre’s comments on Steinbrenner’s passing:

“I will always remember George Steinbrenner as a passionate man, a tough boss, a true visionary, a great humanitarian, and a dear friend. I will be forever grateful that he trusted me with his Yankees for 12 years. My heart goes out to his entire family. He will be deeply missed in New York, Tampa and throughout the world of baseball. It’s only fitting that he went out as a world champ.”

“The Boss’s” reign was not without its share of drama. He received a 15-month suspension in 1974 after he plead guilty to conspiring to make illegal contributions to Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign. He later received a pardon by President Ronald Reagan.

In 1990, he was banned from day-to-day operations by commissioner Fay Vincent when he paid gambler Howie Spira $40,000 in an attempt to get “dirt” on Dave Winfield.

Despite his external brash, Steinbrenner also knew how to poke fun at himself. He gave permission for his impersonation on Seinfeld, where the sitcom featured George Costanza as an assistant to “The Boss”—often seeing fetching calzones for the big guy. He also hosted Saturday Night Live and appeared along side Derek Jeter in a Visa commercial.

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was quoted as saying, “He was truly the most influential and innovative owner in all of sports. He made the Yankees a source of great pride in being a New Yorker.”

Steinbrenner knew he wasn’t perfect. “I haven’t always done a good job, and I haven’t always been successful,” Steinbrenner said in 2005. “But I know that I have tried.” Love him or hate him—and there were plenty of people who did both—“The Boss” changed baseball forever.

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner Dies at Age 80
• MLB Week 14 Sluggers and Slugs – 2nd Half Preview
• MLB Week 13 Sluggers and Slugs – All-Star Edition

New York Says Goodbye To A Legend

George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, died this morning of  a heart attack at the age of 80.  He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida and passed away at 6:30 am.

Whether you loved him or hated him (and there were plenty of people on both sides), everyone knew that Steinbrenner was in charge.  He managed the team with an iron fist for nearly four decades.

Spending lavish amounts on payroll and never being afraid to make a tough decision, the team flourished under his reign.  “The Boss” brought seven Wold Series titles to the organization that, prior to his ownership, had gone 15 years without winning the championship.

“Few people have had a bigger impact on New York over the past four decades than George Steinbrenner,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. “George had a deep love for New York, and his steely determination to succeed combined with his deep respect and appreciation for talent and hard work made him a quintessential New Yorker.”

Steinbrenner was born a Yankee, if dates have any bearing on our destinies.  A fourth of July baby, he epitomized the American dream.

“Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing,” Steinbrenner was fond of saying. “Breathing first, winning next.”  Perhaps with that pasky “breathing” problem out of the way, Steinbrenner can focus on winning all the more.

For further reading, please see Yahoo! Sports.

Photo from: The Philly Phour

The first half of the Major League Baseball season came to a close with a with blockbuster move as we head in the All-Star break. Cliff Lee went to the first place Texas Rangers. I think that I can safely say, with the exception the New York Yankee fans, we are all happy that he didn’t go to New York.

Even though the Colorado Rockies are missing their stud shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, they have crept within 1.5 games of the San Diego Padres in the NL West.

Just as I predicted two weeks ago in a “Sluggers and Slugs” article, the Boston Red Sox have been plagued by the injury bug and have fallen 4.5 games behind the Yanks. The other contender from the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays, have caught fire again winning 8 of 10.

The Minnesota Twins have been struggling coming into the All-Star break with most of the poor performance falling on their horrendous starting pitching. In fact starting pitcher, Nick Blackburn, has been so bad that he may be asked to pitch to the hitters in the Home Run Derby.

The Rangers have been stumbling of late, but since the rest of the division sucks more than a vacuum cleaner, they still lead by 4.5 games.

The following is a preview of each division and what each division may come down to in the second half.

AL East – Bloody Sox

Photo from: Mop-up Du

There is no reason to believe that the Yankees will fall off in the second half, the same way there is no reason to believe that if you marry a stripper that she will be faithful.  They don’t automatically have the division, but they have the best team.

After a couple of weeks of down baseball from the Rays, they have re-emerged as a team that will be around for the long hall. The Rays have a great line-up, complemented by solid pitching and one of the most consistent closers in baseball. They should contend for the wildcard.

The Red Sox roster is in rough shape with nine players on the DL. Josh Beckett is finally making some rehab starts and would provide a much-needed lift to the team if he could return healthy. If Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez return relatively soon, the Red Sox will also contend.

The big question for the Yankees is—can Mariano Rivera stay healthy?  The Red Sox are so banged up and bloodied that I’m not sure they can get back enough players in time to make a run at the playoffs.

AL Central – Pitching Over Power

I'd get hurt making that face too! Photo from: Baseball Canadian

In this division it seems that not one of the pitching staffs want to rise to the top. The Twins staff started the season on fire, but lately couldn’t get outs on a keg league team. They have a lot of big bats in the lineup, but often those that live by the bat also die by the bat.

The Chicago White Sox just lost Jake Peavy for the remainder of the season. This is another team that has great ability to hit the long ball, but sometimes struggles to string together solid outings. They have been playing great over the last two months, but will ultimately be let down due to pitching in the second half.

The Detroit Tigers have little pitching depth and recently lost reliever Joel Zumaya.  Their offense hits for average, but less than average power. When your second best hitter is a rookie, Brennan Boesch, you’re going to tail off eventually. The Tigers will unfortunately fall to third place by seasons end unless they make a move for a pitcher.

This division will ultimately come down to the Twins and White Sox—the team that pitches better will win the division no matter how many homeruns the White Sox hit. They face each other 13 more times, including a 4 game set in Minnesota right after the break. I believe the Twins will come out on top of this division.

AL West – Lee Sews Up the West

He's baaaack! Photo from: The Philly Phour

This is a two-horse race since the other two teams in this division don’t have a chance – the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners.

The Los Angeles Angels lost their best hitter in Kendry Morales and surprisingly lead the Philadelphia Phillies by 4.5. Before the season started I was under the impression that with the acquisition of Roy Halladay, the Phillies would win the East.

I also said that the Braves would have a solid season based on pitching and trying to send off manager Bobby Cox on good note.

I have no faith in the Mets—unless you would consider faith in them choking as a sign of faith. The Mets have been pitching well over the last couple of months, but not with guys who have long track records of continuing. David Wright has played like an MVP candidate, but the rest of the offense has been little better than average.

The Phillies are still my favorite to win this division and will do so by acquiring a pitcher before the deadline. The Phillies pitching outside of Halladay has been less than good this season. The return of Chase Utley to the line-up will help drive the charge in the second half.

The Braves will pull out the wildcard based around solid pitching – including the retirement tour of Billy Wagner nailing down 9^th innings.

NL Central – The Big Red Collapse

Just blame it on Harang Photo from: Rincon Beisbo

Before the season started I had the Reds contending for the wildcard. At times this season it has looked like they could win the division.

I still believe that this division is the St. Louis Cardinals‘ division to lose. The Cards have Albert Pujols, who will have a monster second half and tremendous starting pitching.

What the Reds are doing this season is a sign of great things to come for the organization, but they have a huge hole in their team in the inconsistency of closer Francisco Cordero. It will hit them in important spots during the second half.

The Cards are 7 – 5 versus the Reds this season and have 6 more games against them.

NL West – Dodger Divorce Hurts

Photo from: Dimmy Karra

What the Padres have done this season is remarkable, but will it stay true to the end of the season. They need to go get a bat in the line-up to help and protect Adrian Gonzalez.  The pitching staff is ranked number one in the league with bunch of guys we’ve never heard of before. I doubt they will continue this torrid pace.

The Colorado Rockies have come on strong over the last six weeks and did so without Tulowitzki—very impressive. Ubaldo Jimenez has been a candidate for MVP and Cy Young—no doubt in my mind. The problem is they don’t have the pitching or the talent in the everyday line-up to keep this rolling through to the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most frustrating teams in baseball. How can you have all that young talent, a manager like Joe Torre, and play in one of the largest markets in sports and not be able to afford to make any moves?

The Dodgers are currently without Manny Ramirez, which drastically hurts the line-up.  I believe they will trade for another starting pitcher that will help them get over the hump in the West to make the playoffs. The Dodgers dominate when playing the other teams in the West.

Recap of Division Winners

AL

• Yankees
• Twins
• Rangers
• Rays – WC

NL

• Phillies
• Cardinals
• Dodgers
• Braves – WC

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• MLB Week 13 Sluggers and Slugs – All-Star Edition
• MLB Week 12 Sluggers and Slugs: 1st Half Special Edition
• Whispers of Ubaldo Jimenez for MVP

Photo from: NY Sports Journalism

The baseball season is approaching the All-Star break and just like every year, fans feel like someone got snubbed. Which players got the raw deal?  Was there any movement in Penthouse Power Rankings?

It feels unusual not to give praise to a pitcher for throwing a no-hitter or perfect game. These days they seem to happen almost as regular as Lindsay Lohan arrest updates.

The Boston Red Sox have another player on the DL (Disabled List) bringing their total to nine. The newest injury victim is pitcher Clay Buchholz who joins Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Manny Delcarmen, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jeremy Hermida and Mike Lowell.  Somehow despite the plague of injuries, they continue to maintain pace with the New York Yankees.

The AL central continues to be a tight race with the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins tied at the top, and the Chicago White Sox trailing by only a game-an-half.

The Cincinnati Reds are trying to create some separation between them and the St. Louis Cardinals. If the Reds continue this play, I’d like to see Dusty Baker become the Manager of the Year.

Twins catcher, Joe Mauer, led players in All-Star Voting. It hasn’t been his most impressive year so far with a .303 average and only 3 HRs.

Penthouse Pimpin’

Photo from: 30 Year Old Cardboard

Heading into the All-Star break, the American League and National League top 5 stay the same.

No. 1 – The Yankees currently have the best record (50 – 31).  The Yankees have been the most consistent team thus far – which should be the case when you have a roster that could probably beat the NL All-Stars.

No. 2 – The Red Sox have been incredible this season when it comes to bringing in fill-ins for some of their best players. Adrian Beltre has given them something most people didn’t expect and I think is a big reason why they’ve played so well.

No. 3 – The Texas Rangers have cooled off as of late but they still have a 3.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels. A lineup with Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero is like dating sexy identical twins – their both hot so it doesn’t matter who’s up.

No. 4 – The Atlanta Braves have been one of the best teams all season at filling in positions when players get injured.  If the pitching continues to stay on the same course, they will be headed to the post season – Ranked 5^th in ERA and 7^th in strikeouts.

No. 5 – The San Diego Padres need to make a move to get another bat – I can’t stress that enough.  The Padres rank among the lower tier in hitting – Pitching on the other hand has been sensational – Ranked 1^st in ERA, Strikeouts, and WHIP.

All-Star Breakdown

Photo from: Just a Bit Outside

I have to get something off my chest that I think many of you feel the same way about. The fact that every team must be represented in the All-Star game is garbage.

I think there should be some rules put in place for certain struggling teams to get a player on the roster.  One thing they could do is put an attendance minimum for each team. If your own fans don’t want to see you, what makes Major League Baseball think that other fans want to see them.

You could also put a minimum number of votes that must be received in order to play. For example: a player from the Royals must receive 25,000 votes before he can represent his team in the All-Star game.

If you’re going to make this game count for something (the winner earning home field advantage for their respected league in the World Series), then you should allow the manager to pick the players who will go to the game after the fans vote in the starters.

AL – Starters

C – Joe Mauer, MIN – Good vote by the fans – Lock for the next 5 years in this summer classic

1B – Justin Morneau MIN – Can’t argue with this selection – Cabrera is my AL MVP

2B – Robinson Cano NY – Becoming one of the best all around Yanks of all-time

SS – Derek Jeter NY – The Frank Sinatra of baseball – Unless Jeter pulls a “Tiger Woods” the New York Fans will vote him in

3B – Evan Longoria TB – Maybe Beltre, but he won’t let you touch his head – Weirdo – Longoria carries the Rays offense at times

OF – Josh Hamilton TEX – Earned a lot of love in the last 6 weeks – Think any player with a shot at the Triple Crown should be voted in

OF – Ichiro Suzuki SEA – Fans appreciate his ability to stay awake in the clubhouse – The best hitter since Pete Rose

OF – Carl Crawford TB – Auditioning for the Yankees this season – I predicted he would have a big season this year and he is delivering

DH – Vladimir Guerrero TEX – Playing better since he donated his hair to Locks for Love – Should get a nice reception from the Angels fans

AL – Pitchers

P – Clay Buchholz BOS – On the DL don’t think he’s going to pitch – Great 1^st half – Replaced by Andy Pettitte

P – Trevor Cahill OAK – Actually deserves to be on the roster – Probably get traded for the next batch of players to groom

P – Fausto Carmona CLE – Lone bright spot for the eye sore Indians now that Shin Soo Choo is injured

P – Neftali Feliz TEX – Throws the heat – Nolan Ryan must love this kid – Welcomed Surprise

P – Phil Hughes NY – Thanks to his breakout first half Chamberlain is where he belongs

P – Cliff Lee SEA – Terrific first half after suffering a pre-season injury from pulling a knife out of his back from the Phillies

P – Jon Lester BOS – The best pitcher in the AL first half start to finish

P – David Price TB – One of major reasons the Rays have had some early season success

P – Mariano Rivera NY – The greatest door slammer of all-time – Mo will retire and still get voted in to the All-Star game. Despite Rivera being a shoo-in, he will be sitting out of the All-Star game this year to rest his injuries

P – CC Sabathia NY – Pitched amazing in his last 6 starts – Supposedly a second half pitcher – Not sure how much better he can pitch – scheduled to pitch Sunday, so by rule may not be eligible

P – Joakim Soria KC – They needed a representative – Leads the league in saves – not mad about him making the team

P – Matt Thornton CWS – Solid out of the pen all season – Ozzie wanted to rep the team, but realized he can’t play anymore

P – Jose Valverde DET – Solid contributor, but they should have selected Verlander.

Reserves

C – John Buck TOR – Replacing Victor Martinez – Buck has been part of the slug fest going on north of the boarder

1B – Miguel Cabrera DET – Couldn’t get enough votes to be a starter because Detroit’s economy doesn’t have any people left

2B – Ian Kinsler TEX – Replacing Pedroia – Played nicely since coming off the DL

2B – Ty Wiggington BAL – When he gets announced you’ll hear a collective “WHO” – The best the O’s have to offer

SS – Elvis Andrus TEX – His speed has made Texas even more dangerous than people have expected

3B – Adrian Beltre BOS – Big reason why the Sox have stayed so close in the AL East

3B – Alex Rodriguez NY – Only made the team because Girardi is managing

OF – Jose Bautista TOR – HRs have been impressive – Batting average looks like the change from a deli sandwich

OF – Torii Hunter LAA – Going to receive the biggest obviation during announcements – one of the most consistent player over the last 8 seasons – Huge day on the day of the announcement

OF – Vernon Wells TOR – Part of the crew of Jays that should be arrested for domestic violence because they have been beating up the ball so bad.

Biggest AL Snubs

I can’t believe that Kevin Youkilis didn’t make the team, but then again I understand why Girardi selected A-Rod instead.  Youk’s numbers are better and he has been a bigger reason for his own team’s success.  Youk is one of five players who still have a chance to be voted in by the fans.

The other guy from the AL I have a problem with not making the squad is Jared Weaver.  The guy has a respectable win-loss total, leads the league in K’s, and the game is in his own stadium.  They will figure out a way to get him in the game I suspect.

NL – Starters

C – Yadier Molina STL – Just proves this is the position with the least amount of exciting players – Solid player

1B – Albert Pujols STL – No question for me, the best player in the game

2B – Martin Pardo ATL –  Having a great surprising season, but could do without him on the roster – The reason why the NL hasn’t won since ‘96

SS – Hanley Ramirez FLA – Great player – Hopefully he remembers to hustle for the ball after he boots it

3B – David Wright NYM – NL MVP candidate – Unfortunately this will be the highlight of his season since Mets won’t make the playoffs

OF – Ryan Braun MIL – Is having another terrific season with the stick, definitely deserving

OF – Andre Ethier LAD – If it weren’t for the stint on the DL he might be having the best offensive season in the NL

OF – Jason Heyward ATL – On the DL, most likely won’t play – My choice thus far for ROY (Rookie of the Year)

Pitchers

P – Jonathan Broxton LAD – Having a solid season, but think Health Bell is more deserving

P – Matt Capps WAS – ERA is a little high for a closer but he’s been great for the Nationals

P – Chris Carpenter STL – When healthy continues to put up excellent numbers

P – Roy Halladay PHI – Hasn’t been the best pitcher in the NL, but goes the distance more than anyone else

P – Tim Hudson ATL – Pitching like he did before Billy Bean got rid of him for the next sack of rice and donkey

P – Ubaldo Jimenez COL – This kid has a no-hitter and the best 13 game start to a season I’ve ever seen – Kept the Rocks in it at the beginning of the year

P – Josh Johnson FLA – 5 weeks ago I thought he was having a nice year and now could be competing for the CY

P – Tim Lincecum SF – The Freak has some work to do if he wants a 3^rd straight CY – Definitely the best thing the Giants have going

P – Evan Meeks PIT – This guy has elite closer stuff and someday will probably be one – Just not in a Pirates uniform

P – Arthur Rhodes CIN – Has pitched better than Cordero all season and kept them close in all the one run or late inning games they’ve won

P – Adam Wainwright STL – 5 weeks ago Wainwright and Johnson were the 2^nd tier for CY – Soon he may be the front runner

P –Brian Wilson SF – The staple to the great pitching staff they have in San Fran

Reserves

C – Brian McCann ATL – It’s been an up and down season for the Atlanta catcher, but overall putting together a solid season

1B – Adrian Gonzalez SD – The only threatening hitter in the Padres lineup – I didn’t consider him a serious MVP candidate until 2 weeks ago

1B – Ryan Howard PHI – The numbers are solid and has been the Phil’s best player – Not an All-Star this year – Manager Manuel Selection

2B Brandon Phillips CIN – I actually believe that he could be in the running for MVP by seasons end – All around tremendous season so far

SS Jose Reyes NYM – Started the season on the DL, since returning has helped spark the Mets Offense

3B Omar Infante ATL – Another great fill-in player for the Braves – Not sure he is a All-Star

3B Scott Rolen CIN – The Reds have gotten 10 times what they expected from Rolen – He is the guy I like as the Reds MVP

OF Michael Borun HOU – A good young player – Definitely a representative player and will be used a pinch runner

OF Marlon Byrd CHC – Talk about a phenomenal surprise for the Cubs – Another surprise for the Cubs was the decline of Lee, Ramirez, and Zambrano

OF Corey Hart MIL – This guy doesn’t look like a baseball player, but has been slugging the ball like crazy this year – Looks like a GI Joe

OF – Matt Holliday STL – The numbers are good – For some reason he has become allergic to hitting with runners in scoring position

OF – Chris Young ARI – I am very happy for a young man like Young to go to his first All-Star game – I wish it were deserving

Biggest NL Snubs

Another case of manager favoritism has left Joey Votto off the roster. Not a big shocker that a Phillies manager Manuel went with a Phillies guy when he selected Ryan Howard to the team. Votto has a chance to make the roster by the fan vote-in just like Youkilis.

It’s a crime that not one pitcher from the Padres is in the All-Star game. I am most outraged that Matt Latos did not make. The team that is number one in pitching will have everyone resting over the break and I’m sure that is just fine with manager Bud Black.

All-Star Game Prediction

Photo from: Photobucket

National League 7 – American League 5

MVP – Brandon Phillips

Carlos Zambrano sent Interleague out with a bang! Photo from: Daily Radar

This week marked the end of inter-league play. Allow me to say thank goodness, it is finally over.  Fantasy Tips–Trading players while their value is high. Which players have had the most impact over the first three months, and which players are my favorites to win MVP and Cy Young?

Normally, the highlight of the week would have been Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter, but it seems like they’re happening almost as often as Michael Jackson got nose jobs. The Tampa Bay Rays have been struggling, and getting no-hit for the second time this season is the perfect indicator.

Tempers are heating up like the temperature of summer. Chicago Cubs‘ pitcher Carlos Zambrano lost his cool and ended up nose-to-nose with teammate Derek Lee. The Rays’ frustrations also started to show through when Evan Longoria and B.J.Upton had a disagreement in the dugout.

Josh Hamilton has a league high 21-game hitting streak going. The only thing hotter than Hamilton at the plate right now is the latest Playboy centerfold.

The Florida Marlins and Baltimore Orioles both have manager vacancies.  To me this is the same thing as seeing a “help wanted” sign in the window at McDonald’s. According to two baseball analysts from ESPN, these jobs are very desirable.

Buck Showalter – interviewed for the Os opening and spoke very highly of what an opportunity it would be to coach there. Bobby Valentine – interviewed for the gig that the Marlins have to offer, and to his knowledge is still a candidate.

Penthouse Pimpin’

Photo from: 30 Year Old Cardboard

No. 1 – The New York Yankees keep this spot for the second consecutive week. They won 4 of 6 this past week, including a lucky 9^th inning 4-run rally, and eventually won the game on a Robinson Cano HR. When I say lucky, I mean they are the ugly dude who picked up a drunk hot chick with low self-esteem at the bar.

No. 2 – The Boston Red Sox are still playing second fiddle to their “Daddys” of the AL East, and trail by 2 games. The most noteworthy stories about the Sox this week are two injuries. Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez are both on or headed to the DL. This will have its effects on the recent success they’ve been having.

No. 3 – Last week, this spot was the Rays’, but they haven’t hit lately. This week the Texas Rangers moved in and have their eyes on the number one spot. The awful douche bag saying, “Things are always bigger in Texas,” doesn’t apply to their payroll.  According to CBSSports.com they are ranked 27 in the league and keep winning games.

No. 4 – The San Diego Padres have knocked the Rays out from the penthouse reservation. The Padres may actually be for real – Besides the AL East, the NL West is the only division with four teams, and over .500 winning percentage, and the Padres have a 4 ½ game lead over the San Francisco Giants.

No. 5 – The Atlanta Braves fell one slot after losing three close games to the streaking Chicago White Sox, with only a one-half game lead over the New York Mets.  The Mets are allergic to winning in the last six weeks of the season, so they only really need to worry about the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.

Fantasy Frontline

Photo from: Tools of Ignorance

Making trades in anything is tough, because you want to feel like you’re getting more than you’re giving up. That especially applies to fantasy baseball.  If I get one more trade offer like – Ryan Howard for Mike Lamb and Michael Bourn – I’m gonna punch someone in the face.

My thought on trading is which one of my players has peaked for the season and who has a player that I think will have a big second half.  Obviously if you have a player like Albert Pujols who has had a great start, then keep him under almost all circumstances. Players with consistent histories are the ones you want to target – good or bad.

Hitters

Alex Rios is having a monster first half of the season hitting .311 with 13 HRs, 40 RBIs and 20 SBs. Rios is on pace to set career highs in these categories. It might be a good idea to try and get a frontline pitcher or bust someone in a 2-for-1 type deal.

Brett Gardner is similar to Rios except without the power. Gardner is hitting 40 points higher than his career average, and I feel this has to dip drastically at some point.

Jose Bautista has already surpassed his career high for HRs and is 150 points over his career OPS. No one is that happy to be in Canada, so it has to slow down at some point this season.

Pitchers

Jaime Garcia has started his career pretty nicely, but it appears that teams have gathered enough film on him and it shows. In his last six starts, Garcia has given up 15 ERs. This is his first full season in the big leagues, and his arm will get tired towards the end of the season.

Carlos Silva has clearly over achieved this season, and with a Cubs’ organization in disarray, this might be a good time to get max value on him. Silva has 11 QS (quality starts) and 8 wins but should decline as the Cubs become sellers at the trade deadline.

As crazy as this is going to sound – you might want to trade Ubaldo Jimenez. What are the odds that he will pitch as good in the second half as he has in the first? You may also be able to add depth to your roster by getting another ace and closer or power hitter adding the depth needed for a playoff run.

Heroes – Best of the Best

AL Heroes – MVP

Photo from: Straight To The Dome

Three guys in the American League have taken their turns shining brighter than anyone else in the first three months.

Miguel Cabrera 1B – BA/.332 HR/20 RBI/64 R/55 OPS/1.033

Josh Hamilton OF – BA/.346 HR/18 RBI/57 R/52 OPS/1.009

Robinson Cano 2B – BA/.359 HR/15 RBI/53 R/55 OPS/ 1.002

Although Hamilton has the hit streak going and currently is the hottest player, he finishes third in this particular vote – based on the fact he has too much help with Vladimir Guerrero and Michael Young having a tremendous year.

Cano is surrounded by former all-stars and future HOF (Hall of Fame) players. On the other hand Cabrera has the Detroit Tigers competing for the AL Central. The Central is a pretty weak division comparatively, but none the less impressive and why I think Cabrera is the first half MVP.

Cy Young

This is a two horse race for me between Jon Lester and David Price. Both pitchers are from the AL East and both men are helping fight for a playoff spot against the super power Yankees.

Jon Lester SP – ERA/2.86 W/9 K/111 QS/10

David Price SP – ERA/2.44 W/11 K/84 QS/12

Over the past several months the Sox have been the best team in baseball and Lester has been the most consistent piece to that puzzle. That is the major reason why I have Lester as my first half Cy Young.

NL Heroes – MVP

Technically, Jimenez has been the player with the highest value, but which players brought the wood in the first half?

David Wright 3B – BA/.300 HR/14 RBI/61 R/42 OPS/.928

Joey Votto 1B – BA/.305 HR/16 RBI/50 R/47 OPS/.963

Albert Pujols 1B – BA/.306 HR/16 RBI/51 R/41 OPS/.964

I refuse to believe that the Mets will make the playoffs this season, so that counts out Wright. Votto may rank high, but I don’t even think he is the MVP of his team – Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips.

The St. Louis Cardinals will battle for the NL Central with the Cincinnati Reds and the MVP will come from the team that is victorious. Ultimately, Jimenez has been the MVP thus far, but I believe he will cool and the Colorado Rockies will not make the playoffs.

Cy Young

Jimenez hands down has been the best pitcher in baseball and definitely in the NL.  Josh Johnson and Adam Wainwright have also been outstanding, but not to the level of Jimenez.

Ubaldo Jimenez SP – ERA/1.60 W/13 K/95 QS/14

Josh Johnson SP – ERA/1.83 W/8 K/107 QS/14

Adam Wainwright SP – ERA/2.47 W/10 K/107 QS/13

If anyone has a chance to compete with Jimenez, it’s definitely Wainwright. His numbers will stay pretty much the same throughout the season, and Wainwright has the benefit of playing for the best team of any of these three.

Through the first three months, we have been treated to some stellar play – especially the pitching. It will be interesting to see which players heat up and which ones cool down in the hunt for a playoff spot in October.

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• MLB Week 11 Sluggers and Slugs
• Whispers of Ubaldo Jimenez for MVP
• MLB Week 10 Sluggers and Slugs

Photo from: ESPN

The past week in baseball gave us some major shifting in the “Penthouse Power Rankings.”  Also fantasy tips—who’s most likely on the market.  Plus some “Heroes and Zeros” from across the league.

The Boston Red Sox have quietly put together a great run to get within one game of the AL East leader New York Yankees. Since April 20th, the Red Sox are 39 – 19, the best in baseball.

The New York Mets are trying to prove haters like myself wrong by winning 8 of 10. Their impressive 8 game win streak—which was snapped this past weekend by their rival Yankees—put them in second place in NL East and only 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves.

The Washington Nationals young flamethrower, Stephen Strasburg, continues to impress players and fans across the nation.  He should be impressive when his three starts are against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox. Strasburg’s next start is against the Kansas City Royals.

Manny Ramirez returned to Boston as a visitor for the first time since helping them win two World Series titles. Ramirez was met with more cheers than most would have anticipated—are the Boston fans getting weak? Since Ramirez doesn’t talk to the media fellow teammate Matt Kemp asked the question the media wanted to.

“How does it feel to be back in Boston?” Ramirez paid him no attention. Moments later Kemp would jokingly say, “Manny smells good today.  If y’all get close enough, you can smell him.”

Penthouse Pimpin’

Photo from: 30 Year Old Cardboard

No. 1 – The Yankees have claimed sole possession of the AL East. This doesn’t come as much of surprise to baseball fans since owner; George Steinbrenner pretty much buys a spot in the post season every year.

No. 2 – The Red Sox are 8 of 10 and have crept to within one game of the Yankees for the AL East. The Sox are coming off of a three game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have the Red Sox winning the AL Wildcard, but only to set up the Boston fans for more disappointment.

No. 3 – The Tampa Bay Rays have fallen from one to three this week and for good reason.  They are 3 of 10 and needed help from the Marlins fans and their vuvuzelas in extra innings—another great call by the Marlins organization.

No. 4 – The Atlanta Braves have been amazing at home this season posting a 24 – 7 record.  Even a little buzz worthy story about the possible retirement of long time Braves third baseman Chipper Jones couldn’t shake them.

No. 5 – The Texas Rangers have secured the last spot in the penthouse this week after winning 8 straight games. Josh Hamilton could have been charged with domestic violence the way he went Chris Brown on the ball.

Fantasy Frontline

Photo By: Russ Maschmeyer

Here some players to possibly acquire if your team is suffering from injuries or you have a bum you’re looking to ditch. All of the percentage owned stats are based on Yahoo Head-to-Head Leagues ; most likely the player is available in your league too.

Production over the last month:

Melky Cabrera OF – BA/.337 RBIs/10 Runs/13 OPS/.831 – Percentage Owned 4%

Ryan Spilborghs OF – BA/.339 HRs/5 Runs/12 OPS/1.082 – Percentage Owned 2%

Gaby Sanchez 1B – BA/.301 RBIs/11 Runs/14 OPS/.804 – Percentage Owned 8%

Jason Motte RP – IP/15 W/1 S/1 Ks/20 ERA/0.60 – Percentage Owned 4%

Jonny Venters RP – IP/14.1 W/2 S/1 Ks/21 ERA/1.88 – Percentage Owned 2%

Kyle Kendrick SP – IP/31.2 W/2 Ks/16 ERA/3.41 QS/3 – Percentage Owned 2 %

Heroes and Zeros

AL Heroes

Photo from: Health Habits

A major reason the Rangers have been running up the total on this current 8 game winning streak is offensive production. Over the last week Hamilton has been a solid contributor hitting .520 with 2 HRs, 7 RBIs, and 1.436 OPS.

I’ve picked on Dustin Pedroia a lot this season for not getting it done when the Sox were struggling. Well now they are winning and he is the “biggest-littlest” reason why—hitting .522 with 8 Runs scored, 5 RBIs and 2 stolen bases during the last week.

To compliment the great hitting of Hamilton, Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis pitched 17 innings and earned the W in both games. Lewis also added the icing on the cake with 19 strikeouts this week.  The two of them are like Starsky & Hutch.

The Mariners have won for 4 straight and that should continue if guys like Felix Hernandez remember how good they are, and play like he did this week. Hernandez went 17.2 innings with 2 wins and 18 Ks.

AL Zeros

Evan Longoria looked more like Eva Longoria this week, “desperately” wanting to hit the ball. It’s no coincidence that when Longoria struggles so do the Rays, with him hitting .143 and having only 1 HR, it’s tough for the Rays to win.

Another reason the Rays have struggled is because of starting pitching performances like the one Matt Garza delivered the other night. Garza went 1.1 innings surrendering 7 runs while walking three and only striking out two.

NL Heroes

Ryan Howard was having an “ok” season before this week, but it has appeared that the power has arrived. In the last week Howard had 8 hits, 4 of which went for round trippers—about time you started earning all that money.

Ramirez not only returned to Boston this week, he also returned to his old self—the one I attributed to steroids. Ramirez hit .455 with 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, and 9 runs scored. Ramirez may not want to talk to the media, but fans hope he keeps talking with the bat.

The Braves, Billy Wagner, who is set to retire at the end of the year pitched brilliantly this week. Wagner threw three scoreless innings earning a W and two saves.

NL Zeros

The week Nationals Ryan Zimmerman had is like stepping in dog shit—you can hide it, but you can’t avoid the fact that it stunk. Zimmerman hit .130 with 0 HRs, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored.  The Nats aren’t going to win a lot right now, but it will be all the more difficult without his bat.

Some of the Padres early season magic is starting to ware off of guys like Kevin Correia. In his last start he only went 5 innings giving up 5 runs. In Correia’s last 4 starts he has given up 18 runs in 18.2 innings.

Next week we take another look at the power rankings, who’s earning their paper, and fantasy tips about trading players while their value is high.

Photo from: About.com

It’s the year of the pitcher in Major League Baseball. Essentially we’ve seen three perfect games (Dallas Braden, Roy Halladay and Armando Galarraga — umpire Jim Joyce admitted his mistake), as well as two no-hitters.

One of the no-hitters was thrown by Colorado Rockies’ ace, Ubaldo Jimenez. This young man has some special stuff on the mound — topping 100 mph on the gun, Jimenez pitches in the hitter-friendly Coors Field, which has historically been conducive to producing a high ERA.

Jimenez’s record is currently 13–1 with 1.15 ERA. ESPN’s Buster Olney compares him to one of the all-time greats in a recent article.

“Ubaldo Jimenez is pitching like Bob Gibson in 1968, and he’s single-handedly propping up the Rockies’ playoff hopes along the way. If the season ended today, you could make a strong case for him as the NL MVP because no player has meant more to his respective team than Jimenez.”

In today’s ESPN broadcast, Olney reiterates, “if the season ended today, Jimenez would be the favorite for NL MVP.”

Do the fans share Olney’s opinion Jimenez for NL MVP?  Who was the last pitcher to win league MVP honors? Which other players will give him a run for his money?

Fans Choose the Silver Bullet

Photo from: Dr. Shame's Love Circus

Apparently Coors Light, “The Silver Bullet,” isn’t the only thing from the Rockies that the fans are liking this year. ESPN conducted a poll for the fans asking who they thought would win NL MVP at this point in the season, and Jimenez won by a landslide.

A total of 17,054 votes were cast and Jimenez received 70 percent. Andre Ethier claimed 7 percent; Albert Pujols got 17 percent and 6 percent of the voters said, “other.”

These numbers are overwhelming, but we must keep in mind that the fans do not get a vote for NL MVP. MVP voters definitely take into account that Jimenez only pitches once every five days, while players like Pujols and Ethier make daily contributions to the team — earning a playoff spot.

In his article on Hardball Talk, Matthew Pouliot has Jimenez as the leader of the NL MVP race through the first quarter of the season, with Ethier coming in second.

I think the fans appreciate the fact that the Rockies are 23-31 in games not started by Jimenez. It’s tough to argue that kind of value.

The Rocket Before Juicing

Photo from: Crawdaddy Cove

Through 14 starts, Jimenez is keeping some incredible company.

Roger Clemens, 1986            13 – 0              2.18 ERA

Lefty Gomez, 1932                 13 – 1              3.28 ERA

Lefty Grove, 1931                   13 – 1              1.83 ERA

The first man on that list, Clemens, was the last pitcher to win MVP honors as a starting pitcher.  Clemens finished that season with a 24 – 4 record and a 2.48 ERA. He helped the Boston Red Sox to a World Series berth and captured his first of seven Cy Young Awards.

In all 14 games, Jimenez has made quality starts, going more than 6 innings and yielding less than 3 earned runs. The only pitcher to have a lower ERA after 14 starts is Al Benton in 1945 with a .091 ERA.

Everyone in the Rockies organization is in amazement of what Jimenez is doing, especially Manager Jim Tracy,  who had these remarks after Jimenez’s last start against the Minnesota Twins.

“What a performance, again. The mindset of this man and his awareness. This is not the first time that he faced a front-line guy from another ball club and did exactly what he did today.”

Clemens, aka “The Rocket,” also accomplished his MVP honors in the hitter-friendly Fenway Park, which adds to the amazement of how great these two men are.

Give Him the Cy Young Now

Cy Young may not be up for grabs this season. Photo from: America's Library

Almost three months into the baseball season Jimenez is a lock for this year’s NL Cy Young.

The next closest pitcher to Jimenez is the St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, who has 9 wins with a 2.41 ERA. Wainwright has four less wins, while pitching for a better team and surrendering one more run per ballgame.

Florida Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson has a very low 1.86 ERA, but compliments that with only 7 wins.

Both Wainwright and Johnson are well on their ways to having career years, but Jimenez is on his way to making history.

If he keeps his ERA under 2.0 and continues winning half the amount of games that he currently does in the first half, the Cy Young is his.

Must Make the Playoffs for MVP

The MVP Trophy. Photo from: Diamond Galleries

As of June 20, the Rockies are three games out of first place in the NL West and trail the New York Mets—who won’t make the playoffs—by two games for the NL Wildcard.

The NL West has proved to be a much stronger division than most baseball fans predicted. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants will create a rocky road for the Rockies to make the playoffs.

The MVP traditionally goes to an everyday player of a team that make the post-season. The Cincinnati Reds have two strong MVP candidates in Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips.

The Cardinals will mostly likely make the playoffs and Pujols is always a strong choice for the award.

The Dodgers have Ethier putting together a spectacular year, leading the NL in batting average. If it wasn’t for a stint on the DL for a broken pinky finger, Ethier would probably be among the leaders in HRs and RBIs.

I know I said the Mets won’t make the playoffs, but if they did, one would have to consider David Wright for the award.

Bottom line, Jimenez can only be a serious choice if the Rockies make the playoffs and if he wins 25 games with an ERA lower than 2.0.

Prediction

As the temperatures rise, so too will Jiminez’s ERA. Combine that with a few starts with no run support and he will fall short of MVP honors, but claim the Cy Young. Ultimately it will come down to whether or not the Rockies make the playoffs.

My prediction: Jimenez W 23 – L 4 / 2.06 ERA

Additional Reading on GenXXL:

• MLB Week 10 Sluggers and Slugs
• Manny Ramirez Struggles Without Juice
• MLB Week 9 Sluggers and Slugs

Photo by The Fightins

Week 10 of the baseball season gave us many great moments, but none greater than the debut of Washington Nationals’ pitcher, Stephen Strasburg.

Future Hall of Fame catcher Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez was quoted in an article on ESPN giving Strasburg this compliment: “I’ve been catching a lot of guys, but this kid is unbelievable.”

The Cincinnati Reds had a down week losing 4 of 7 and still managed to increase their lead on the NL Central.

The Philadelphia Phillies continue to sink in the NL East and now trail the Atlanta Braves by 3.5 games.  After losing 12–2 and 10–2 against the Boston Red Sox, manager Charlie Manuel made the following statement:

“Our offense has been struggling, like it’s been said for a while.  When you give a team eight and nine runs early, that’s kinda hard to overcome.”

The New York Yankees played their way into a tie for the AL East lead with the Tampa Bay Rays. How will this effect the penthouse power rankings?  Who of the players earned their checks this week, and which ones need to donate it to the “oil spill relief”?

Penthouse Pimpin’

Photo by Keith Allison

No. 1 – The Rays keep a slight edge over division rival Yanks this week. The Rays pitching has cooled off considerably.  In the last 10 games they’ve lost 6 and given up more than 6 runs in 4 of those games with 14 runs being the high. Manager Joe Maddon doesn’t seemed to be panicked.

“You knew that eventually it was going to get to something like this at some point. (New York’s) not going away. Boston’s not going to go away. I always like the idea of at least maintaining that, or actually staying ahead. But they’re good. It’s a long season left. And I’m certain we’re going to get hot again, like we had been earlier. I really feel another streak coming.”

No. 1 – The Yankees are 7 of 10 and are doing this with a sluggish bat from Alex Rodriguez, who is having problems with his hip again. I think they may want to try hooking him back up with Madonna so he can have access to her personal trainer.

No. 2 – The San Diego Padres season makes a great story, and it’s interesting to see which player will keep the incredible run going. Eventually the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants or Colorado Rockies will over take this division.

No. 3 – The Reds third basemen Scott Rolen is having an MVP-type season leading the Reds in several major offensive categories. A great combination of speed and power should propel this play well into the second half.

No. 4 – The Braves keep getting stronger and stronger, and that is a bad sign for the Phillies. The Phils don’t have to worry about the New York Mets because they will choke, but the Braves manager Bobby Cox and veteran leadership like Chipper Jones could carry this team.

Cellar Dweller

No. 26 – The Seattle Mariners have won only 2 of 10 and fallen 11 games behind the Texas Rangers. I like the fact that they at least tried to compete, but this roster just isn’t working out. There are rumors of Cliff Lee being traded to the Yankees.

No. 27 – The Cleveland Indians got to face Strasburg on Sunday and looked like the little leaguers that most of them are.  They called up young talented catcher, Carlos Santana, and Adam Dunn ran him over like a Mac truck hitting a moth on the freeway.

No. 28 – The Arizona Diamondbacks showed signs of improvement this week and have now won 6 of 10. When you get excited about a two-game winning streak, its time to reevaluate. Two-in-a-row isn’t a streak, it’s a repeat, and in the case of the D-Backs, it’s probably an accident.

No. 29 – The Pittsburgh Pirates were destined  to join the bottom group, but managed to play well until recently. The Pirates have lost 8 straight games and reminded us why they have been one of most pitiful franchises over the past several years.

No. 30 – The Baltimore Orioles are playing for the kind of record no organizations want — worst ever regular record in baseball history. The O’s next 12 games are against National league teams. I’m sure the Giants, Padres, Florida Marlins and Nationals are looking forward to that Interleague match-up.

Heros and Zero

Photo by Keith Allison

AL Heros

Although the Rays have struggled, they finally got a monster week from power hitter Carlos Pena. Pena had 8 hits this past week and 6 of them went for homeruns. Pena also scored 9 runs and had 9 RBIs.

The Rangers Josh Hamilton was dialed in at the plate this past week, especially with runners in scoring position. Hamilton hit .370 with 4 HRs and 13 RBIs.

The Rangers have found a special pitcher in Colby Lewis and he should surely improve with the tutelage of Nolan Ryan. This week Lewis pitched 15 innings only giving up 3 runs and striking out 15 (10 in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers).

AL Zeros

This past week the Detroit Tigers added one more struggling product to the city of Detroit because of the poor batting performance Miguel Cabrera displayed. Cabrera hit .136 with only 4 RBIs. The only positive thing about his play was 2 of 3 hits he made went for HRs.

The Rays starting pitching is going downhill, and James Shields is a big reason. Shields recorded his fourth straight loss by giving up 10 runs in 3.1 innings.

NL Heros

The Nationals slugger Dunn didn’t only beat up Indians catcher Santana, he also put a hurtin’ on the ball. Dunn hit .455 with 4 HRs and knocked in 7 RBIs.

A big contributor to the D-Backs success this week was from Chris Young. Young hit .333 with 3 HRs and scored 6 runs. Young also stole three bases. They are going to need more weeks like this from offensive players if they want to steal games.

There may be other players more worthy of  hero honors this week, but Strasburg’s performances were quite remarkable.  Strasburg recorded 2 wins with a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings, with 22 strikeouts (14 against the Pirates).

NL Zeros

I went to the game between the Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals, June 7. When we left, my girlfriend said, “We paid all this money to watch Albert Pujols. What’s so special about him?” I had no defense since he went 0–4 at the plate and finished the week going 3–22 with no HRs.

The Marlins have tons of young talent they are excited about, and one of those players is starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco managed to only make 2.1 innings against the Rays and gave up 5 runs (surrendering 3 HRs).

Additional Reading on GenXXL

• MLB Week 9 Sluggers and Slugs
• Manny Ramirez Struggles Without Juice
• Sports Podcast — Week 12

Authorities could strike oil as they dig deeper and deeper into the allegations that Roger Clemens used steroids during his pitching career. The veteran of the mound is accused of paying Brian McNamee, a New York personal trainer, for training services and performance-enhancing drugs.

What’s worse, the money is said to have come from Roger Clemens’ nonprofit organization.  McNamee reported to authorities that he received payments from the Roger Clemens foundation from 1998-2001.  Rusty Hardin, Clemens lawyer, has spent the last two years attempting to discredit McNamee.

Hardin commented on the foundation payments, “Obviously, Roger never paid him for any drugs anytime and he never paid him out of the foundation for his training services at any time,” and “The foundation’s records will show that.”

The seven time Cy Young award winner could face civil and criminal charges if the authorities find evidence to back up McNamee’s accusations. However, McNamee was unable to provide prosecutors with documentation to prove payments were received via the Roger Clemens Foundation.

Clemens was named 82 times in the “Mitchell Report”, a report to the commissioner of baseball of an independent investigation into the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball. The investigation spanned 21 months and was released on December 13, 2007.

Clemens has been under investigation for perjury since February 13, 2008 after he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

Read more at ESPN.com

Photo by Kevin Allison

Another great week around the diamond — this time with a retiring legend, a successful walk-off celebration and the blown call of a lifetime.

Many feel baseball remains a great game because of its long-standing traditions and history. These are the same people who feel the human element of umpires is the way to go over technology and video replay, especially in certain cases.

It was interesting listening to baseball purists defend their stance when umpire Jim Joyce blew a call that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Joyce admitted he blew the call as soon as he saw the replay and felt horrible.

Not using replay on certain plays late in games is like teenage sex without a condom. Yes it taints the experience a bit, but if we can enjoy it, and it prevents us from making the mistake of a lifetime, then let’s just wrap it up.

We said bye to “The Kid,” Ken Griffey Jr., this week as he retired in Seattle, where it all started. After 22 major league seasons, Jr. felt like he was more of a distraction than a help to the team, so he hung’em up. Jr. was one of my favorite players, and no doubt, a first ballot Hall of Fame candidate.

Some surprise teams fall from the penthouse power rankings, and the same old teams occupy the cellar. Which players did their best impression of a creepy grown up in tights and got their hero on this week?

Penthouse Pimpin’

Photo by KOknockout920

No. 1 – The Tampa Bay Rays have cooled off considerably in the past couple of weeks. They have managed to maintain a lead in the toughest division in baseball. Put aside the fact the Rays aren’t dominating right now; they are still the best team in baseball.

No. 2 – The San Diego Padres have the second-best record. I have never seen a team with so little obvious talent win so many games. There are rumors about them trading closer Heath Bell for prospects. I say, get a big bat for the clean-up spot.

No. 3 – The Cincinnati Reds ended this week tied for the NL Central lead. This week, the Reds have a 7-game home stand with four against the San Francisco Giants and three with the Kansas City Royals. This adds up to a 5-win week and control of the NL Central.

No. 4 – The New York Yankees are not in first place; as far as I see it, this means they are underachieving. They have a great opportunity to seize first place in the AL East with their next six games against the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros.

No. 5 – The Atlanta Braves have finally started to come around and have taken a 2-game lead in the NL East. The bats are waking up and the pitching has come alive. If the older guys can stay healthy, they’ll give manager Bobby Cox another playoff shot.

Cellar Dwellers

No. 26 – The Seattle Mariners are close to retiring on the season like “The Kid.” If you thought things couldn’t get worse for the Ms, you were wrong. Young budding ace Doug Fister missed a start because of arm soreness. Fister is facing a possible trip to the DL.

No. 27 – The Astros have started to put some wins together — going 6 of 10. The bad news is they have strong teams on the upcoming schedule. This should treat them like stabbing a balloon, and let the air out in a hurry.

No. 28 – The Cleveland Indians have some good news coming, after four with the Boston Red Sox, they get into inter-league play. Upcoming games against the Washington Nationals (slowly returning to form), the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates should equal .500 baseball. Good luck trying to give away those tickets.

No. 29 – The Arizona Diamondbacks at one point this week went scoreless for 30-plus innings. Not sure how to sum up this team’s play other than they make Richard Simmons want to slit his wrists.

No. 30 – The Orioles have played so bad, they got their manager, Dave Trembley, fired. I know Mr. Trembley is probably upset, but he should be happy that he doesn’t have to watch that garbage anymore. It’s like watching the same crappy movie over and over again.

Heros and Zeros

Photo by Andrew Klein

AL Heros

The Mariners may have lost the best player in franchise history, but their second-best player, Ichiro Suzuki, had a great week.  Suzuki hit .481 with 5 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. To bad the rest of the team doesn’t know it’s a good thing to get hits with runners on base.

The Red Sox’ Kevin Youkilis has been the best and most consistent on the team this season. Youkilis hit .462 with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs and still took an extra day of rest.

The Tigers’ pitcher Galarraga has to be the pitcher of the week for basically throwing a 28 out perfect game.  He also deserves votes for player of the year, the way he handled the entire situation. Most people, including myself wouldn’t have handled it with the class and grace he did, and I admire that about him.

AL Zeros

Joe Mauer is the savior of the Minnesota Twins, but this week he couldn’t save them from a attack of butterflies. Mauer hit an unusual .214 with no HRs and no RBIs. Instead of “Mauer Power,” it was more like “Mauer Sour.”

I feel bad doing this since Zach Greinke plays for the Royals, but he either needs to ask for more help or ask to be traded.  You can’t expect the guy to throw shutout baseball every start. Greinke gave up 4 runs in 6 innings for a loss.

NL Heros

The Mets’ David Wright is one of the games best all-around players, but hasn’t shown it until this week. Wright hit .500, had 2 HRs, scored 6 runs and stole 2 bases.

The Braves acquired Troy Glaus, hoping he would stay healthy and have weeks like this. Glaus hit .308 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs.  A major reason why the  Braves have taken over first place.

The St. Louis Cardinals have the game’s best veteran in Albert Pujols and may have the best young star in Colby Rasmus.  Rasmus went 11/22  with 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, 8 runs scored, and one base stolen. This lineup has the potential to be one of the best in baseball if Rasmus continues.

It would be easy for me to write that Ubaldo Jimenez shone this week by winning both starts and striking out 17, but I won’t.  Instead, Cardinals’ ace Adam Wainwright pitched a complete game two hitter against an offensive power house in the Milwaukee Brewers while striking out nine.

NL Zeros

The Philadelphia Phillies have been on the decline recently and that is due to the fact that the offense couldn’t hit a parked car.  Big part of that downfall is number three hitter, Chase Utley who went 4/23 with no HRs and one RBI.

I promise I’m not gaining up on the Phillies, but Cole Hamels’ ERA looks more like the ticket price for the game. Hamels gave up a three-run bomb in the first inning, and then the rain came. Hamels never returned, yielding him a 40.50 ERA for the game.

Major League Baseball gets back underway this week with inter-league play, a.k.a. proof the NL needs the DH (Designated Hitter).

Additional Reading on GenXXL

• Repairing MLB Rule 4 Draft
• Bonds, McGwire on Steroids
• Sports Podcast — Week 11

Photo by Waldo Jaquith

Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds are two of the best hitters in Major League Baseball, from my generation. What do these two men have in common? Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance linked to steroid use, and Bonds is facing an allegation of steroid use.

In 2008, Ramirez was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers and put together the best 53-game stretch I have ever witnessed. With this performance, Ramirez claimed the hearts of Dodger fans (dedicated a section of seating called MannyWood).

On May 7, 2009, the League announced Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance and suspended him for 50 games. Since Ramirez returned to the diamond, his numbers have never been the same.

A big question for baseball fans is how much do steroids actually help a hitter?  Ramirez lack of production at the plate is giving us indication of how effective they can be.

MannyWood on Drugs

Photo from isportacus.com

After the trade to the Dodgers in ’08, Ramirez hit .396 with 17 HRs, 53 RBIs and 1.232 OPS in 53 games. Ramirez had come from Boston with solid numbers, but nothing as stellar as this 53-game stretch. It left many people wondering, what could Ramirez do if he only applied himself for an entire season?

When Ramirez was traded, many people thought he was little more than a side show at this point in career. Ramirez proved them wrong and helped carry a young Dodger team to the NLCS.

Season Totals ’08: GM -153 / BA – .332 / HR – 37 / RBI – 121 / OPS – 1.031

Every total he compiled was higher than his career average.

Sober Manny = Old Manny

Photo by Keith Allison

In ’09, Ramirez played in 27 games prior to getting popped for PED use; he was hitting .348 with 6 HRs and 20 RBIs.

Ramirez returned from the 50-game suspension and was less then a force at the plate.  After the long-awaited triumphant return, Ramirez played in 77 games which he saw his batting average drop 58 points, only hit 13 HRs and knocked in 43.

So far into the ’10 campaign, the numbers are still declining. Ramirez hasn’t had a batting average this low (.274) since his second year with the Cleveland Indians (.269).

Granted, Ramirez has had a stint on the 15-Day DL already and isn’t playing in day games that follow night games, but he is on pace to set career lows across the board.

In one year, Ramirez went from all-time great to average. His hands appear to be slower and pitch recognition is awful.

Ramirez is 39 points below his career batting average and 100 points below his OPS as of June 5.  Ramirez career numbers would the season of a lifetime for most ball players.

Career AVG: 17 Seasons / GM – 130 / BA – .313 / HR – 32 / RBI – 105 / OPS – .999

Comparison to Bonds

Bonds, at age 36, put together the best year baseball has ever seen (coincidentally, the same age Ramirez was when he was traded to the Dodgers and compiled those great numbers.)

In ’01, Bonds hit .328 with 73 HRs and 137 RBIs. The difference is we didn’t see a major drop off in numbers until Bonds was 40.

However, baseball did conduct an anonymous drug test in ’03 that eventually leaked the names of David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez.  In ’04, the grand jury called Bonds and other players to testify about steroid use.  Bonds testified that he may have unknowingly used a cream substance that his trainer, Greg Anderson, rubbed on his legs.

This past off-season, Mark McGwire admitted to steroid use, but said it did not enhance his performance; it only allowed him to stay healthy.  Even if what Bonds did was only to stay healthy, it was against the rules, and not everyone had the option of using it.

After baseball became stricter about its substance use, Bonds’ body finally showed its age. In ’05, Bonds’ body only allowed him to play in 14 games, after posting a five year unprecedented run.

Bonds played two more seasons after the injury plagued ’05 year, but never came close to his prior numbers.  I understand the body won’t allow you to continue forever, but no one falls that far, that fast.

Heros Fade Faster Without Juice

Photo by cliff1066

At age 37, Babe Ruth hit 41 HRs, and over the next 3 seasons, (HRs 34, 22, 6 – retired after only 28 games) his numbers would decline like they should.

Imagine if Ruth would have been able to use PEDs to stay healthy and productive.  The same goes for Hank Aaron and all the other great players.

We want to see our heros ride out into the sunset, not to fizzle out like old out of shape has-beens.  Great athletes rarely walk away when they should; legal steroid use would probably have guys playing into their mid to late 40s.

I am a big fan of Ramirez and would love to see him play better in the last few years of his career.

Unfortunately history has shown us that no man is immortal, but with steroids his legend can increase and playing mortality prolonged.

Additional Reading on GenXXL

• Bonds, McGwire on Steroids
• MLB Going Batty, Killing me Slowly
• Sports Podcast — Week 11

Photo by Cathy T

The 2010 MLB Rule 4 First-Year Player Draft begins on June 7^th.  This 50-round circus is the only draft of any major sport that takes place during the season—but that is not the problem.

Some of the major problems are highlighted in a great column by SI’s, Tom Verducci.  Verducci states the problems as being the fact that you can’t trade picks, over spending in later rounds, and the drafting of too many high school players.

In this draft alone, thousands of kids will never make it to “The Show.” To make things worse, hundreds of these kids drafted aren’t even of legal age to consume alcoholic beverages.

You may be asking what does drinking have to do with playing baseball. Well, young men by law can’t handle alcohol, how are we supposed to expect them to possibly hire an agent, choose between college and the minors, and maintain athletic expectations?

The entire Rule 4 Draft is subject to change with the upcoming meetings for a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) in 2012.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Photo by Josh Hallett

If we’re going to fix the process of this mess, then we need to shorten the draft. A 50-round draft is like the girls from Sex and the City making movies, know when enough is enough.

The NFL and NBA have perfect formats for their respected drafts. The NFL has 7 rounds and the NBA has 2 rounds. All players must declare their eligibility prior to the draft and if they are not selected then they become free agents.

In the Verducci article, baseball agent Scott Boras has an idea to separate the high school and college drafts and limit the high school draft to two rounds (or about 70 picks).

I don’t feel as though there is a need to separate the two drafts, but limiting the number of high school players selected is a good idea. If a high school player is not selected, he can try and sign with a minor league team or go play college ball.

The draft should be cut in half to about 25 rounds or less. I understand that teams need to field a major league team plus minor league affiliates. Also with acquisition of foreign born players, though, this should be enough.

Any player who is not chosen in the draft is then free game for any team to pursue their services.  This would force more kids to either go to college or stay in school and advance their education since the odds of ever playing in the majors is highly unlikely for most.

Stats Don’t Lie

These statistics were provided by SI.com.

In 2000, of the 436 high school players drafted after the 13^th round, 9 signed contracts and eventually played in the majors—A 98 percent failure rate.

In 2000, of the 213 high school players who were drafted after the 26^th round, only 1 player eventually played 147 games in the majors (Victor Diaz – New York Mets & Texas Rangers)—A 99 percent failure rate.

These statistics were provided by HighSchoolBaseballWeb.com.

About 1 in 200 high school players will eventually be drafted by a major league team—A 0.5 percent success rate.

Slightly less then 11 in 100 college baseball players will be drafted by a major league team—A 10.5 percent success rate.

Picks Equal Money, Which Equals Power

Photo by slayer

Another great aspect of the NFL and NBA drafts is the fact that you can trade picks to move up or down in the draft.

If an organization has the 5^th pick of the draft and doesn’t see someone they need, then by all means they should have the right to trade with a team that desires that spot.

Major League Baseball doesn’t have a salary cap, which gives an advantage to the larger markets. Why not allow a struggling organization to trade picks and possibly give them a chance to compile talented prospects?

Players selected through all drafts should have a maximum amount of money they can make.  It doesn’t matter how talented you are as an amateur there is no guarantee that you will perform at the highest level.

Contracts should be two years with an option for a third year. This will allow players who out perform their contracts to get paid fair value when they enter their prime and eliminate organization favored contracts.

Clearly based on the success rate of the players in the later rounds (especially high school players) some things have to change with the MLB Rule 4 Draft.  The unfortunate part about this entire situation is that resolution to this problem will favor the people with money.

Additional Reading on GenXXL

• MLB Going Batty, Kiling Me Slowly
• MLB Week 8 Sluggers and Slugs
• MLB: The Diamond is a Drug’s Best Friend

Photo by Keith Allison

Summer is upon us and its time for our three favorite B’s – beaches, BBQs and baseball. We have wrapped up the second month of the season, and the pennant races, like the temperature, are heating up.

The Boston Red Sox fan base can flip the cover back over the panic button for now winning 7 of 10, including a sweep of the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Although the Philadelphia Phillies have been struggling, their ace Roy Halladay gave us the 2^nd perfect game of the season against the Florida Marlins.

The Los Angeles Angels’ first baseman, Kendry Morales joined the list of worst victory celebrations in the history of sports. After hitting a walk-off grand-slam, Morales jumped on home plate surrounded by his teammates and fractured a bone in his lower leg.

The Atlanta Braves’ offense is coming around, but which NL team made a charge to the top of the division and entered the penthouse power rankings?

Several men stepped to the plate attempting to do their best hero impersonation in the first two months, but which players’ powers  reigned supreme?

Penthouse Pimpin’

Photo by KOknockout920

No. 1 – The Rays remain at the top even though they struggled this past week losing 5 of 7.  All teams are going to hit rough patches throughout the season, but when you do and still maintain a 3.5 game lead on the New York Yankees, you’re the best team in baseball.

No. 2 – The San Diego Padres continue to win! I have made some foolish bets in my time and would have bet my eyebrows that the Padres wouldn’t be in 1^st place after Memorial Day. If San Diego can stay classy till the all-star break, the 2^nd half is going to be very interesting.

No. 3 – The Cincinnati Reds have taken over the NL Central! They have done so by crushing the ball from the entire lineup. Its tough to make the playoffs with only offense so if the can get some pitching the Reds will be dangerous down the stretch.

No. 4 – The Yankees are playing good baseball right now and I believe are capable of great baseball. When C.C. Sabathia turns it on and that line up hits it stride, they will take over the AL East and never look back.

No. 5 – The Minnesota Twins seem to always be 6 of 10. This isn’t overly impressive, but what it will do for sure is win the AL Central and put the Twins in the playoffs.  I love to cheer for an organization from a small market that is competitive.

Cellar Dwellers

No. 26 – The Seattle Mariners have disappointed me, theirs fans and hopefully themselves. This team was my pick to win the AL West, and they may not even win 70 games this season. They will probably trade most of their high-priced players without long term deals.

No. 27 – The Arizona Diamondbacks have so many problems I can’t believe things aren’t worse. They have injuries in the pitching staff, terrible middle and short relief, a bum closer, and the batting order is just ok 1 – 9. D-Backs season is over!

No. 28 – The Cleveland Indians have the chance to be the premier sports franchise in the city with possible exit of LeBron James from the Cavilers. If the organization doesn’t want to spend money on free agents, then acquire and develop young prospects.

No. 29 – The Houston Astros will soon have to give away tickets to get fans to come to the games. The only reason they may not finish with worst record in baseball is because the Baltimore Orioles play in the AL East.

No. 30 – The more I watch the Orioles, the more I notice small pieces coming together that could someday form a solid team.  Not a team that could compete for the division in the AL East.

Heros and Zeros

Photo by Keith Allison

AL Heros

Without question, the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera has been the most sensational player with lumber. Cabrera is hitting .352 with 14 HRs and 48 RBIs. These are the kind of numbers that could herald a triple crown.

All baseball fans are familiar with the Twins’ Joe Mauer, but the guy who has powered the twinkies is Justin Morneau. The Twins’ first baseman is hitting a league leading .368 with 11 HRs and 36 RBIs.

A big contributor to the early season success the Rays’ are having is David Price. This kid is going to be a special part of the Rays’ organization for a long time. Price has an ERA of 2.57 with 7 wins and 50 strikeouts.

AL Zeros

The Yankees’ Mark Teixeria is notoriously a slow starter, but this is getting down right unacceptable for a Yankee. Teixeria power numbers have started to come around, but the batting average is only .221. This number is not ok for a guy making 20 million a year.

The Yankees’ Javier Vasquez struggles have been slightly forgotten due to the success of Phil Hughes. Vasquez’s second stint with the Yanks it is looking similar to the first with only 3 wins and a 6.86 ERA.

NL Heros

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun has been one of the few reasons for Brewers’ fans to celebrate with a brew. Braun is hitting .318 with 8 HRs, 32 RBIs and 38 runs scored. The Brewers must find a way to lockup Braun and Prince Fielder for a long time.

Even though Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Andre Ethier is coming off a 15 day DL stint he is still among NL leaders in all major offensive categories. Ethier is hitting an amazing .392 with 11 HRs, 38 RBIs, and 1.201 OPS.

Although Halladay has the perfect game, the Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez has a no-hitter. On top of Jimenez’s no-hitter is an microscopic 0.88 ERA with 9 wins and 61 strikeouts. Jimenez is sporting some  CY Young type stuff in the first two months.

NL Zeros

The Chicago Cubs’ struggles can be attributed to many things, but I give the majority of the blame to sluggers Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Their averages are at .237 (Lee) and .166 (Ramirez).  Lee and Ramirez have combined for 10 HRs; 19 players have single-handedly hit more by themselves.

Its kind of unfair to do this but the Astros’ Wandy Rodriguez is pitching like he has nothing to play for, probably because he doesn’t. Rodriguez has ace type stuff on the mound, but his 5.37 ERA says otherwise.

Additional Reading on GenXXL

• Sports Podcast — Week 10
• Bonds, McGwire on Steroids
• MLB Week 7 Sluggers and Slugs

Photo by Keith Allison

The major league baseball season kicked off inter-league play this week, which reminds me that the only thing more overrated is MTVs The Hills.

So what if a couple of New York Mets fans got to arrive at the office on Monday and talk smack to New York Yankees fans. The Yanks are going to make the playoffs, and the Mets will try not to finish in the basement of the NL East.

Besides the few big inter-city rivalries like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, does anyone really care? I’m sure the state of Ohio was on the edge of their seats for the match-up between the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds.

On the pod-cast last week, I said the Boston Reds were facing a do or die week. They stepped up big time by winning 5 of 7 against the Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and the Yanks. They didn’t gain or lose any ground on the Tampa Bay Rays, but Monday starts a big three game series at Tropicana Field.

What team lost their best hitter and now is on the rise to joining the “Penthouse” power rankings. I am increasing my rankings for the top and bottom from three to five. Which team is joining the rat infested “Cellar?”

Also, in this week’s “Heros and Zeros,” who is the player swinging a hot stick that made the Rays even more dangerous?

Penthouse Pimpin’

No. 1 – Rays – They run through teams like the humans did Pandora in “Avatar.” Ownership must find a way to keep this squad together.

No. 2 – Los Angeles Dodgers – NL leading hitter Andre Ethier goes on the 15 day DL, the McCourt’s ugly divorce, and yet the Dodgers keep winning. Sign Roy Oswalt.

No. 3 – Yankees – They have stumbled a bit of late, but if they can avoid any serious injuries to Mariano Rivera, they’ll challenge the Rays for the AL East.

No. 4 – Phillies – Roy Halladay finally came back to reality, but the offense keeps slugging away. Jimmy Rollins needs to stay healthy for long term success.

No. 5 – San Diego Padres – This could be their last week in the penthouse party. The Padres must win 4 of 6 to stay ahead of the Dodgers.

Cellar Dwellers

No. 26 – Seattle Mariners – This team, on paper, looks like a naked super model, but they play like a fat chick doing jumping jacks, bouncy and all over the place.

No. 27 – Kansas City Royals – I say this with a straight face, but the Royals actually have some young talent. By the time they blossom, it will be in a Yanks or Sox uniform.

No. 28 – Indians – This team is not built to win games; they barely meet the requirements to accept the real fans money. The ownership and management should be ashamed.

No. 29 – Houston Astros – Rumor has it Oswalt wants out. This is just another sign pointing to how bad things are in Houston. Management should start trading for prospects.

No. 30 – Baltimore Orioles – Manager Dave Trembley is going to stroke out from watching the Os play. Even with a lead in the 9^th I’ll bet they lose.

Heros and Zeros

Photo by Keith Allison

AL Heros

The Rays surprise from last season, Ben Zobrist, had been alright up until this last week. Zobrist went off like an MVP hitting .500 in 28 ABs, with his first two HRs and seven RBIs.

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman, Edwin Encarnacion, had a career week, and most of it was away from Canada (take from that what you will).  Encarnacion belted 6 HRs and 11 RBIs.

The Oakland Athletics received some more superb pitching from another youngster this week in Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez notched two wins with 1.80 ERA and struck out 9.

AL Zeros

The Red Sox scrappy little slugger Dustin Pedroia had the Sox fans looking for ways to mainline Samuel Adams with his pathetic week. Pedroia hit .107 with no HRs and no RBIs.

Zach Grinke and CC Sabathia both had weeks they would love to forget.  Neither ace won a game; both had ERAs 4.50 or higher, and both men surrendered three HRs.

NL Heros

Adam LaRoche kept hope alive for the Arizona Diamondbacks with a healthy week at the dish. LaRoche hit .435 with three HRs and eight RBIs.

The big red fantasy machine had three guys ranked in the Yahoo top 25 fantasy batters. Scott Rolen, Joey Votto and Laynce Nix combined to hit 8 HRs with 24 RBIs, and all hit well over .350. If these men would have been married to the baseball, they would have been arrested for spousal abuse the way they beat it up.

D-Backs flame thrower Edwin Jackson was sitting down batters this week like American kids competing in a Chinese spelling bee. Jackson was the victor in both games he pitched with 2.87 ERA and sat down 21 batters on strikes.

NL Zeros

The Mets Jason Bay gave the fans something to smile about, but David Wright gave them a reason to binge drink. Wright hit a dreadful .167 with no HRs.

The Phillies got Halladay to be the ace of the staff, and this week he was anything but that. In two starts Halladay had a 4.91 ERA and choked against the Red Sox when they needed him to make a statement.

Source list Below:

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/ballpark/index.jsp ” Tropicana Field”

http://www.mtv.com/shows/the_hills/season_6/series.jhtml “The Hills”

http://www.avatarmovie.com/ “Avatar”

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/dodgers-owner-frank-mccourt-wife-jamie-beginning-ugly-divorce/ “McCourts ugly Divorce”

http://www.i-yankees.com/?p=20518 “avoid any serious injury”

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=sd ” must win 4 of 6″

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=kc “have some young talent”

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/roy_oswalt/ “oswalt wants out”

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-05-23/sports/bs-sp-cowherd-column-orioles-0523-20100523_1_orioles-manager-sam-perlozzo-dave-trembley “Manager Dave Trembley”

Additional Reading on GenXXL

• Rodriguez, Woods, and Others Linked to Dr. Galea
• MLB Week 6 Sluggers and Slugs
• Sports Podcast — Week 9